Theresa & Robert

Theresa and Robert got married on July 7 this year at St. Augustine church in Waikiki, and their reception was held at the Hale Koa Waikiki ballroom. Although it seems like all my weddings are always at Lanikuhonua (honestly, I have so many brides asking me why do I do so many weddings there? Because it's simply beautiful!), but I actually really enjoy working at hotel ballrooms as well to mix things up :) There are so much you can do inside a ballroom, for example: dramatic lighting, ridiculously tall centerpieces, real candles that won't get blown out... etc, without having to worry about our worst enemies: wind and rain! Theresa was so easy to work with (let alone she is also drop dead gorgeous). She trusted her vendors 100% and just kind of allow us to design the entire event based on the 3 photos (well, maybe 4 the most!) she had in her big wedding binder. Michelle of Flower Girls did an awesome job creating the luxurious, elegant and romantic feel Theresa wanted for her reception. Theresa's wedding color was actually turquoise, but the ballroom looked AMAZING with a wash of all white decor. Her something blue (actually "something turquoise") was the beautiful cake made by Cake Lava. The Hale Koa ballrom was truly transformed for this event, from the beautiful custom linen to the hand crafted sweetheart table canopy adorned with a shabby chic style chandelier, no details were left out. Even the wait staff who works at the hotel told us that they didn't even recognize the ballroom! Thank you to Theresa and Robert for being such amazing clients to work with! Blessings to you both! Images by Chrissy Lambert.

Ceremony at St. Augustine Church

Overall view of the ballroom's transformation

Close up of the table top design

White phalaenopsis orchid always makes an elegant napkin embellishment

The happy couple underneath their romantic canopy adorned by a shabby chic style crystal chandelier

Stunning turquoise cake by Cake Lava

Surprise for the Bride

I had the opportunity to work with a super fun couple this weekend, Jason and Reiko; and I think we've pulled off the biggest surprise of all surprises! Jason and I have been working closely together for about a month prior to the wedding to surprise his new wife, Reiko and all of his 180 out of town guests with a spectacular fireworks show. It was required by the Ko Olina association that we inform all of the resort residents and hotel guests of the show, so they don't get scared by the loud noise. It was quite challenging to make sure no guests, especially Reiko, receive any notice about the show. With that many guests, you know someone will spill the beans, somehow! All week, I was really looking forward to seeing Reiko's reaction to this amazing (and expensive) surprise. After Jason gave his speech, we fired off the fireworks, and Reiko was completely in shock, and of course, in tears! Jason and Reiko were so much fun to work with; and their guests kept the dance floor busy all night. Let's just say that they danced so hard the dance floor moved about 3 - 4 feet away from its original position. I had no idea that's even possible! Professional pictures to come... when they are available :) But for now, here's a fantastic "camera phone photo" of the fireworks.

Mazal Tov!

Jennifer and Michael

Here are some professional pictures taken by Chrissy Lambert at Jennifer and Michael's wedding at Lani Phase 2 (yes, another BEAUTIFUL wedding at Lani. A sunset that never disappoints!). Jennifer is a yoga instructor, and Michael is a therapeutic massage therapist. They own a business together in San Francisco that focuses on health and healing - how cool is that! Jennifer is definitely one of my favorite brides to work with. Her presence is so calming, soothing and just simply lovely! Jennifer and Michael's ceremony is probably the most personal and spiritual I've witnessed, I love it! It reminds me again what marriage is all about. After all, flowers will die, candles will melt.... but your marriage is one thing from your wedding that truly last forever. Yvonne had an amazing job with the lighting and flowers. They truly exudes beauty and serenity, with a touch of Indian inspiration. Jennifer's Indian-inspired cake made by Cake Lava also stole the show. It was so colorful and of course, so ono (delicious) at the same time. Congratulations to the Lanes!

Ceremony on the beach

Table top design

Love the Tuberose spiral chandelier!

The table top design looks so different at night with the help of some custom lighting. It looks amazing!

The happy couple! Gotta love Jennifer's "feet embellishment" :)

Indian-inspired wedding cake

Operation Baseboard

Marvin and I installed our wood flooring a year ago; but since then, we just couldn't find time to finish up the baseboards. We finally had a free weekend (I mean no weddings on Fri, Sat AND Sun!), so we know it's time to put on our home improvement hats and get these baseboards finished. Thank you to Juggo (Marvin's step dad) who stayed all day to help us cut and install these baseboards. We thought he was going to just let us borrow his nail gun, but he ended up doing 99% of the work! I am so happy with how they turned out. Our hard work has truly paid off, especially with all that back-bending, caulking I had to do :)